Sipping Cristal champagne and 39 other blue-chip labels, New York wine lovers kicked off the autumn auction season at a two-night Acker Merrall & Condit sale on Sept. 10. They bid big, especially for Chateau Lafite and Romanee Conti, spending $4.9 million -- a sign auction prices are still rising.

Lackluster demand at a Christie’s International wine auction raised HK$32.7 million ($4.2 million) in Hong Kong Saturday, with only 74 percent of lots sold as buyers became more selective about vintages.

A case of Vosne-Romanee Cros Parantoux 1985 vintage Burgundy from the private cellar of winemaker Henri Jayer fetched HK$2.06 million ($265,200) as the top lot at a Christie’s International sale in Hong Kong.

When Ross Brudenell began decorating a second home in Abington, Connecticut, with pieces from his $2 million collection of colonial American furnishings, he realized something else needed changing: his insurance.